HEALTH: How to overcome needle phobias during Covid times

Sharon Dyke, a local Solution Focused Hypnotherapist (SFH) tells us how Needle phobias are surprisingly common, with 1 in 10 of us in the UK suffering from them, referred to as trypanophobia. Due to the COVID19 vaccination programme now is a great time to overcome your phobia…

Sharon says, “To be honest, most people don’t like having injections, but a phobia is an overwhelming and uncontrollable reaction to needles that triggers the flight, fight, response. Sharon adds, “Some people can’t even talk about, or see needles as this response is so strong, even watching someone getting an injection on TV can cause a heightened state of arousal.

Sharon tells how some types of needle phobia are acquired through your experiences. She says, “As babies we don’t come into the world with a fear of needles. It is believed that only the startle response (fear of loud noises) and the fear of falling are the ones we are born with. Many needle phobias are learned. This can be through previous traumatic experiences. She also says, “Up to 20% of needle phobias are resistive responses, which means that the individual has a previous experience of being restrained in some way to have a procedure (or fear of), for example if a child is held down to get a vaccination. The anxiety that this causes (even if it was well intentioned) can result in a phobia being formed.” Sharon also tells us how we can even pic up a phobia vicariously – so just by seeing someone have a negative reaction to a needle can establish a phobia.
Sharon says, “The great new is that solution focused hypnotherapy can help people overcome the phobic response, whatever the type of phobia.

Sharon is a fully-qualified and insured senior hypnotherapy practitioner and member of the CNHC, a voluntary regulator for supplementary therapies. Sharon is also a senior supervisor supporting practitioners across the country, and a former senior lecture with Clifton Practice Hypnotherapy Training, teaching other like-minded people to join one of the country’s fastest growing models of therapeutic interventions.

To find out more please visit Sharon’s website
www.sharondykehypnotherapy.co.uk or you can contact her directly to book a consultation on 07766250113.